When several women in Herndon, Virginia, are found murdered in a similar manner, SSA David Rossi reopens an unsolved cold case that has haunted him for a quarter of a century because he believes the original killer, who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, might have returned.

The BAU team closes in on the serial killer as he continues his murder spree throughout Los Angeles - with Detective Spicer's kidnapped daughter as his hostage - in the conclusion of last season's cliffhanger.